Only Ashes
by bridgetlynn
Summary: When a quiet young woman meets the crew of Serenity under the guise of a simple passenger transport the last thing she expects is for them to begin to change her entire outlook on life or remind her of everything she left behind.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Firefly, Serenity and related/recognizable characters/materials are copyright of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy Productions and subsequent companies. I do own the character of Molly Maguire. This Fan Fiction is not intended for profit nor is any copyright infringement intended.

**Timeline:** This begins approximately six months pre-Firefly (series).

* * *

The day was not going according to plan.

What had begun as a fine weathered day had very swiftly turned into the beginnings of a storm in a matter of minutes; leaving curious blue eyes to peer around the corner of a building as they studied the mid-morning hustle down the main street of the small town. She watched as citizens of the town hurried about their business; actions spurned into a rush from the sudden change in temperature and wind speed. The brunette's own thoughts sped over what the implications of a storm could do to her potential plans as well as she took barely passable shelter between a saloon and the towns General Store.

The growing strength of the wind blowing through the alley way was near enough to send the petite figure stumbling into the building she was standing next to as it was; yet she couldn't bring herself to enter one of the establishments. She quickly closed her eyes as another strong gust sent a cloud of dust into the air and was forced to clear her throat with a harsh cough that left the taste of dirt in her mouth and tears in her eyes. Blinking repeatedly, she took a moment to clear the grit, before once more peering around the corner, ignoring the crowd this time, and letting her eyes trail a few feet down the road where a few ships were stationed.

Once she had reassured herself that the Firefly class transport that had caught her eye an hour earlier was still in port she relaxed slightly. She had been wandering the small port while the weather was still fit for potential travel, examining the ships that would be leaving that morning and had spotted the vessel. Immediately after, she had parked her form around the corner from where it was stationed and had since been working up the courage to find out it's destination.

Then the storm had begun brewing.

Leaning back against the building once again she shook her head at her own cowardice; something she normally didn't have any problems with. The independent woman had always prided herself on her ability to face things as they came at her with a level head. And in her experience, passage on a vessel had certainly never been something to grow a case of nerves over.

"Are you taking passengers? And where are you headed?" she muttered experimentally under her breath, not for the first time since she had seen the ship.

In theory, it was a simple question to be asked. In execution, things tended to get a bit more difficult. Factoring in the less then perfect weather and Molly Maguire was about ready to scream over how badly the last two weeks of her life had been going.

Molly groaned and tugged frustratedly at the long chestnut-brown braid that hung down her back as that final thought once again surfaced. She was the first to admit when she overreacted to something; the drink, and subsequent right hook, she had thrown in the face of the Alliance Officer who had grabbed her ass while she was waitressing hadn't, in her opinion, been grounds for dismissal from her job. Two weeks later she was approaching penniless; and being that she was still jobless had decided it was well past time that she moved on to another planet, or at the very least another city.

Another glance around the building, and a deeper sigh, brought the Firefly back into her sight line. Her gut was telling her she needed to be on that specific ship. She gently twisted her lips into an ironic smile at that mental concession; Molly Maguire didn't listen to her gut. As far as the woman was concerned, her head had gotten her through plenty of scrapes over the last twenty-seven years of her life and it would get her through the rest of them as well. But for some strange reason she didn't understand she felt like she needed to be on this Serenity; even as logic told her that the much sturdier looking passenger freighter a few ports down would be the smarter decision.

It took another ten minutes of debating her possible options - wait out front of the Firefly or go find someone on the other ship - for a figure to finally emerge from the open hatch. A young woman, walked out with a chair and sat down with a bright smile for every passerby; though, to be fair, from the distance Molly couldn't tell how young. She watched the girl speak to a few random people, smiling brightly even as she pulled a coat tighter around her in the still growing wind, and finally with a mental kick in her own ass Molly straightened the black trench she was wearing and strode into the busy street.

She swiftly navigated around the foot traffic, trying to calm the butterflies that had taken residence in her stomach with each passing step, and came to a stop a few minutes later in front of the vessel. Now that she was closer she was able to tell that while the girl in question was only physically few years younger then Molly herself, the smile on her face and in her eyes made her appear much younger.

"Hi," the girl half-squealed, jumping up from the chair and waving happily. "You travellin'? You look like you're travellin'."

Molly raised an eyebrow at the bubbly female and tentatively smiled back, again questioning the idea of listening to her gut on this, before replying, "I am. Are you taking passengers?"

"We are. I'm Kaylee."

Molly smiled tightly, wondering why the girl would be trusting enough with her name right off the bat, and replied, "Nice to meet you. Where'ya headed?"

"Persephone," the other girl replied quickly. "You headed in that direction? Or, there?" she added hopefully.

Molly frowned because while she hadn't entirely decided on a destination, she didn't particularly care to stay on core planets for long; but at that moment it was as good as any other place for the time being, "Sure am."

"Shiny," Kaylee replied with an, if possible, even larger smile. "So, fare's...well, fair, I suppose. Standard. Since that's where we're headed anyway."

Molly's frown deepened at the words and she worried her bottom lip for a moment before replying carefully, "About that. I don't have coin, as it were."

"Oh," Kaylee muttered, finally losing some wattage to her grin. "As it were?"

"I can pay," Molly quickly reassured the girl. "It's just not in standard money. I've got gems."

"They yours?" a male voice interrupted the girls from behind her and Molly's head snapped around, startled at the intrusion. Her eyes rested on a tall, stern looking, male a few years her senior, who was standing with his thumbs looped through suspenders and was studying her curiously.

"They are," she replied; hoping she had judged correctly and that this was the Captain of the ship based upon his question. "Family owns a mine," she elaborated off the skeptical look he was giving her. When he wordlessly held out a hand Molly forced down the urge to roll her eyes and began fishing around in her satchel until she produced a small sack that she turned over to him. "I would assume that you'd know what the fair rate to Persephone is?"

"Welcome aboard," he replied quickly, eyes widening slightly as he glanced inside the pouch. "Miss?"

"Molly," she responded simply. "Just Molly's fine. Captain?"

"Reynolds," he elaborated, shaking six of the smaller stones in varying colors out into his hand before returning the pack to her. "Kaylee can show you to one of the passenger rooms. Do you need any help loading your things?"

Molly reached down to her side and picked up the larger duffel she had been carrying, "This is all I have."

"Fair 'nough," he muttered to her and began walking onto the ship before he paused and turned again. "Kaylee?"

"Yes Cap'n?"

"Show Miss, umm, show Molly to her quarters and then tell Wash I wanna get off this rock before we can't."

"Yes sir," Kaylee responded, her apparently ever-present grin returned to her face. "Come on Molly."

"Coming," she mumbled and followed along into the large cargo bay of the ship as Kaylee rambled on about Serenity and how she was sure Molly would have the best trip she had ever been on the next few days. She mentally catalogued the short trip through the ship until they reached a hallway with a few sliding doors, stopping when Kaylee opened one with a flourish.

"This is you," the young woman stated. "All the comforts of home."

Molly took a step inside and smiled gratefully at Kaylee, before forcing out a yawn, "Thanks very much Kaylee. I think I'm just going to get settled in and maybe take a nap."

"Okay then. I'll be sure to call you for dinner and you can meet everyone then. I need to get to the engine room anyway."

Molly's smile brightened slightly at those words and she forced herself not to breathe a sigh of relief, "Alright. I'll see you later then."

"Bye!"

Once Kaylee had disappeared Molly tightly shut her door and allowed her body to relax, "Nice girl. Too talkative."

She tossed her duffel onto the floor and dropped her exhausted body onto the bed right after. Slowly she leaned forward and unbuckled the black knee high boots she all but lived in, yanked them off and dropped them next to her bag, her trench coat and vest were pulled off next and finally the pistol that she had holstered at the small of her back was stuffed under the pillow on the bed.

Molly's head hit the same pillow seconds later as she tuned out the slight sounds of voices echoing through the large metal vessel and allowed the light rumbling of the large engines to send her body, that hadn't slept in near two days, off into an exhausted dreamless slumber until Kaylee would be coming to get her for dinner with the crew.

* * *

**Note:** The basic premise of this fanfiction was initially published by myself, on this site, a few years ago (under the title "Gone By Dawn") and has since been deleted. Having gone through the longest 3 years of my young life (health issues, college, first job, etc.) I stumbled upon it and almost cringed. My writing has far matured past where it was then and as such I've gone back to what I knew I initially wanted to do with the idea and have re-vamped it into something that is (hopefully) much better.


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer:** Firefly, Serenity and related/recognizable characters/materials are copyright of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy Productions and subsequent companies. I do own the character of Molly Maguire. This Fan Fiction is not intended for profit nor is any copyright infringement intended.

**Timeline:** This begins approximately six months pre-Firefly (series).

* * *

The stars outside the window were beginning to blur as Malcolm Reynolds continued to stare forward without blinking. He had been slouched in the co-pilot seat since the moment they left atmo and judging by the increasingly unsubtle coughing of his pilot his distraction had been noticed. A slight cut of his eyes towards the seat to his right revealed Wash's head studying the controls in front of him; as opposed to the steady, curious, gaze that Mal hadn't missed being pointed in his own direction seconds earlier.

"What is it Wash?"

"Nothing sir," the blonde replied quickly. "Nothing at all. It's just that, you seem a bit, how should I say, umm?"

"Spit it out."

"Distracted? No, no, you don't get distracted," the pilot began rambling nervously, as the implications of his statement began to hit him. "More like, preoccupied. Which you are, of course, completely allowed to be. Busy busy man that you are."

"Speak no more husband," Zoe's voice interrupted before her husband could dig himself potentially deeper. Her tone, however, implied that she was joking with the statement, more then anything else.

"Thank you wife," Wash muttered and flipped a few switches, grateful for the interjection of the ship's first mate. "So Persephone huh?"

"That's where we're headed," Mal finally broke his silence once more. "With a passenger to boot," he muttered the last part more to himself then to either of his crew members.

"Somethin' bothering you about the passenger sir?" Zoe asked, picking up on the tone of the man she had known for so long.

"Honestly don't know," he admitted and opened his hand to show her the gems he had been holding since he was handed them just over an hour earlier. "Look at these."

Zoe leaned over and studied the jewels that sat in the palm of her Captain's hand before replying, "They're awfully shiny sir. And I mean that quite literally. Should we be worried about these?"

"She said her family owns a mine," he responded. "Dunno what to make of that."

"Here's an idea," Wash interjected. "And it's a crazy one, lemme tell you. But, maybe they do."

"And even if they don't; it's not like there's so many of them that we'd need to be worried about Feds," Zoe elaborated, knowing that if Mal was bothered by the jewels he wasn't going to entertain any logical explanation. At least not at first. Malcolm Reynolds went with his gut on most things; logic came later.

"There's more," Mal muttered, closing his hand up and pocketing the stones. "Lot more."

"Oh," Zoe and Wash both replied, exchanging curious glances at the tone of the Captain. "What's bugging you sir?" Zoe questioned candidly as on the bridge with just her husband and old friend she felt comfortable enough to ask.

"Well, she pops outta no where, has no credits or coin to pay for passage and hands me a bag of gem stones. Then she basically tells me to take what is fair for passage to Persephone."

"Sir," Zoe replied quietly. "Now, don't take this the wrong way; you know I'm normally all for increased caution and paranoia when the situation merits it. But, maybe, she really did just need a ride to Persephone? We were lookin' for passengers."

Mal shook his head at the words of his first mate and forced a smile onto his face before responding, "You're right Zoe. I've just been a might twitchy from the lack of work. Starting to think everyone's the boogey-man."

"They aren't?"

Zoe smirked at her husband's comment as Mal stood and stretched. He quietly walked past them, lightly tapping his first mate on the shoulder in thanks and headed off the bridge. As he descended into his own quarters to lock up the stones he could swear he heard Wash's voice questioning if he was allowed to think that was weird. In the back of his mind the Captain couldn't help but agree with his pilot; but, he also had no idea why the young woman had unsettled him so.

After he had locked away the stones in a safe box he couldn't help but offer up a thanks to a God he no longer believed in that Persephone was only three days away and she would be off the ship soon enough.

* * *

"Dinner Molly," Kaylee's voice came through the door of the passenger dorm, followed by a light tapping that fully turned the brunette's attention away from the notebook she had been flipping through.

"I'll be right out Kaylee," she replied, raising her voice to be sure she was heard. She waited a few seconds and listened to the sound of boots on the grating of the floors before sliding the notebook back inside of her duffel bag. She stood off the edge of the bed and briefly debated bringing her pistol to dinner, chuckling at the sheer ridiculousness of the thought, before leaving the room and heading in the direction she had heard boisterous voices coming from.

She used the few minutes she had before she reached the mess to clear her thoughts of those that had been dredged up to the forefront of her mind by looking over the old journal. The book was a small piece of her past that she still kept on her person; a reminder of why she had left Paradiso thirteen years earlier, taking only a few captures and the sack of gemstones she had collected growing up from the scraps of her family's mine.

"Keep the past in the past Molly," she muttered, pausing outside the half shut door. "No use dwelling. In the end there's nothing left but ashes."

"You comin' in?" Kaylee's voice interrupted Molly's personal pep-talk and the older brunette looked up to see the mechanic smiling in the doorway and waving her inside. "We've actually got some real food tonight. I did some shoppin' 'fore the storm blew in."

"Shiny," Molly replied, putting as bright a smile as she could manage through the case of nerves she was developing over seeing five people other then Kaylee staring back at her from the table.

"Molly, you sit here," the mechanic gestured and steered Molly into a seat across from a woman that on first appearances looked like the living embodiment of a doll. "This is Inara."

"Hello," the doll turned human replied in a cultured voice. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Same," Molly responded quickly and forced herself to keep her eyes up and focused on the others at the table even though all she wanted to do was sleep. A feat she still hadn't achieved, despite having been left alone for over two hours before dinner.

"That's Jayne, then Wash, 'cross from Wash is Zoe and then of course, you met the Captain earlier," Kaylee continued her introductions.

"Yes, I did. Lovely to see you again sir," Molly spoke directly to him, an easy smile on her face as she watched him shift uncomfortably in his chair. "I meant to ask you earlier, do you have a first name?"

"Do you have a last name?" he shot back, in a perfect imitation of the proper tone she had used when addressing him.

"Touche," Molly muttered. "It's very nice to meet everyone else as well."

"Ya not bad to look at. You can meet me better later," a gruff voice responded to her comment and without looking Molly made an assumption that it came from the large, reasonably handsome, man sitting next to Inara. When she looked up and registered his smirk she realized she had guessed correctly and simply grinned back. "Like that idea do ya?"

"Depends," Molly stage-whispered, leaning over slightly. "Do you like the idea of ever being able to use it again?"

Her words had the blonde Kaylee had introduced as Wash choking on whatever he was drinking, while the Doll across from her looked somewhere between scandalized and amused.

"Huh? It?"

"Oh, now he's really not havin' sex with me," Molly muttered under her breath to Kaylee, sending the younger girl into a fit of giggles as she attempted to pass a serving plate to Molly.

Soon after the table fell generally quiet for the next few minutes as everyone served themselves and began to eat. It was during this lull, eyes glued to her plate or chop sticks that she began to feel a prickling on the back of her neck; the kind you get when someone is talking about you. Glancing up she met a pair of brown eyes directly across from her. The eyes were curious, alluring and strangely cold all at once. It was in that moment that the woman Molly had subconsciously dubbed the China Doll in her own mind made sense; Companion.

The moment she made the connection between the woman's physical appearance and the look in her eyes Molly's mouth dried up around the food she had just placed into it.

"Can I help you?" Molly asked quietly after she had finished chewing a mouthful of the now chalky food.

"I was just wondering about you," Inara replied. "It's always nice to have a new person to speak with."

"I'm sure you get plenty of new people in your line of work."

The conversation that the other five had been participating in fell silent at Molly's statement and out of the corner of her eye Molly could see the Captain straighten up a bit in his chair; though whether his curiosity was peeked or he was aggravated had yet to be deciphered by the newest passenger on his ship.

"What line of work is it that you think I'm in?" Inara questioned politely.

"You're a companion, Academy trained I'm sure."

"You are correct," Inara conceded with a tight smile. "Though, I suppose it can't be too difficult to assume in surroundings such as these."

"Hey!"

"No offense meant Captain Reynolds," the Companion quickly reassured the indignant voice. "How did you figure it out?"

Molly met Inara's eyes and mimicked the expression she saw in their brown orbs before switching to a smile intended to charm and replied, "I'm a real good guesser. If everyone will excuse me? I'm quite tired."

"You sure?" Kaylee interjected as Molly stood up from the table, gathering her empty plate as she went. "You barely ate."

"Dinner was lovely," she rushed to assure the girl as she rinsed off her dish quickly and laid it in the rack. "But I'm not really all that hungry right now," she continued what she was sure was a feeble explanation, based on the various looks on the crew's faces. "Again, thanks. And, well, goodnight."

"Goodnight," a chorus of voices followed Molly as she left the common area and quickly walked back to the passenger dorms.

It wasn't until she was closed back up in her room that she allowed herself to relax and process what she had learned at dinner. The presence of a Companion on board the ship brought back a slew of memories that even the journal itself couldn't begin to unearth in her mind. She quickly pulled her boots off once more and climbed into the bed attempting once more to sleep and cursing her inability to relax in unfamiliar places, as it forced her to remain dressed.

Three hours later she was still studying the ceiling of the passenger dorm and praying for blessed oblivion.

* * *

There were a lot of things Mal loved about his ship; her occasional ability to keep him up at night was not one of them. Which was why he was currently on his third circuit of Serenity, mentally reminding himself to ask Kaylee to take a look at whatever was making the clanking noise keeping him awake tonight. He figured it couldn't be dangerous or important 'cause the mechanic was currently sleeping like a baby in her bunk.

"Nope, I'm the only one awake."

"No you aren't," a voice drifted out of the darkness, across the cargo bay from him, 'causing him to jump and pull his pistol. "I promise Captain," the voice, that he now recognized as their passenger. "I am unarmed."

"Where in the gorram hell are you girl?"

"Over here," she spoke again, this time accompanied by a wave that got his attention. Carefully he picked his way down the catwalk until he reached the other side where she was sitting. "Am I allowed in here?"

"Little late to be asking that ain't it?"

"Better to ask forgiveness?"

Mal chuckled lightly at the tone she used, mainly as in no way shape or form did it imply an apology, and shook his head. He slid down and took a seat next to her, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the middle railing as well with both of their feet dangling above the cargo bay, and sighed. The silence stretched between them for a few minutes, strangely comfortable to the man who had been so certain this woman unsettled him. Turning his head to the side he studied her profile in the dark. Long hair hung straight, unbraided, down her back and she was studying the floor below them intently with a blank expression that began to bring the discomfort back into his stomach.

"What're you headin' to Persephone for anyway?"

"No real reason," she replied immediately. "Just needed to get off that backwater moon."

"Because?"

"Got fired," she admitted.

"For?" he prodded, his gaze never leaving her profile and hers never leaving the floor.

"Threw a drink in the face of some purple belly and then hit him. And before you freak out, he grabbed my ass."

"I'd have promoted ya," Mal responded, smirking lightly.

"That's what I said," Molly grumbled, the blank expression turning into a light pout. "My turn," she continued. "What's a registered Companion doing on your boat anyway?"

Mal rolled his eyes at the question, one he had asked himself on and off for a long while, and finally replied, "You know how that works, she's considered respectable, an Ambassador. Keeps certain eyes off of us." Molly's answering snort told Mal all he needed to know about her opinion of the profession. "Why do you have a problem with it?"

"Let's just say that The Guild is part of the reason I haven't been home in almost fourteen years," she whispered back, a frustrated crease appearing on her forehead as she turned her head to face him finally. "But, that's my own fault I suppose."

"The Guild?"

"That's what I said," she responded and Mal shifted nervously as her eyes seemed to bore into his. "You don't like me much do you?"

"Don't know ya is all," he admitted. "Can't dislike ya. But you're a bit strange; not, dangerous. Just a little strange."

"How so?"

"You switch back and forth 'tween proper and, well, not. I don't like people I can't figure out."

"I've lived many places Captain," she told him quietly, her tone taking on one of a confidence. "As such, I guess I lost a bit of where I came from," she added, shrugging slightly. "I change and adapt as each situation presents itself. But I promise, I'm not here to cause trouble. I really did just need a ride to somewhere else. Serenity provided that."

"Guess I'll have to take that for what it's worth."

Molly nodded and pushed herself up into a standing position; Mal's eyes followed her progression until she was standing over him, still leaning against the railing and once again staring below them. He waited as something in her expression told him she was going to speak again and a long, strained silence stretched out for almost a full five minutes before she did open her mouth.

"I like my privacy Captain. I'm sure you do as well. I'll stay out of the way of you and your crew; providing I am given the same respect."

"Noted," he replied; once again confused, but finally not uncomfortable with her. "Goodnight, Miss...Molly."

"Goodnight Captain Reynolds."

* * *

When Molly re-entered her room, again, she forced herself to change for bed feeling finally that she might be able to sleep after the strange conversation she had with the ship's Captain. The man was an enigma to Molly. She could tell there was a lot more going on behind his eyes then he showed to the world. She hated that she realized that.

"What were you thinking?" she muttered into her pillow, punching it a few times for good measure. "Just tell the man your how life story why don'tcha?"

Molly sighed and flipped over in the surprisingly comfortable bed as she contemplated the last half hour. She hadn't been lying when she told Captain Reynolds that The Guild was part of the reason she had left home at fifteen years old; the only detail she had left out was that The Guild itself hadn't had any part in her leaving. Her parents, registering her with The Academy and her acceptance letter, providing she chose to attend, had been the reason. Her ability to study the people on this boat, Captain Reynolds especially, was merely a natural talent at reading body language that had prompted her acceptance into The Academy.

"Oh, won't you make a wonderful Companion one day," she muttered, remembering the words of the head mistress. "My ass," she added spitefully.

Three days later and Molly Maguire was off world on her way anywhere that didn't involve her money and status obsessed parents. Parents who, truth be told, never had any real money or status to begin with.

"Three days and you're on Persephone. Just avoid Inara like the plague," she added out loud, reinforcing her thoughts for her own ears. "Just play it like you told the Captain. You like your privacy and would like to be left alone. That'll work."

She had told the man the truth, traveling for years, living in different places and her own innate talents for adapting were the reasons she could switch between tones and grammatical intonations when she needed to. And while she had no illusions that The Guild would even care that she hadn't accepted their offer; it didn't mean she wanted it brought up or to be reminded of what she could have had.

Because her what she considered her one greatest accomplishment on some days; she also considered her one greatest regret on others.

* * *

**Note:** Hi guys. So, this is an entirely different fandom for me to be writing in (though not reading or watching). Mostly when I write, it's original fiction so it's my all my own characters/plots/etc. My writing in general tends to lead towards more introspective and dark; hopefully that isn't a turn off for anyone.

I very much hope you're enjoying this so far; and I very much welcome constructive criticism on things that you feel could either be fleshed out or approached differently - characters, interactions, other things like that. I thrive off of anything that could help me become a better writer or storyteller.

Much love.


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